Colours of festival come alive

CHANDIGARH: The festive season is not over yet. Large number of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the city performed Chhath Puja on Monday at the Sector 42 lake in the city. The four-day festival started on Saturday with thousands including married women thronging water bodies for a ritual bath.

On Monday, close to one lakh devotees were heard chanting mantra "Om Suryaye Namah" and seen performing rituals at the lake. Women dressed in colourful traditional attire were seen offering 51 items to the setting sun. "Chhath Puja is performed to thank Lord Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request granting of people's wishes. We offered 51 items that included all kinds of fruits and vegetables and most importantly sugarcane and 'thekua', a dish made of 'ghee', 'gur' and wheat flour," said Bindu Yadav, a resident of Sector 19, Chandigarh.

People started gathering at the lake along with their families 3pm onwards. Some devotees walked it all the way from their homes to the lake barefoot to perform the "puja". Even those who do not perform rituals visited the lake to see how it is done.

"This fast is very difficult as it is a long one and requires a lot of cleanliness. Thus it was not possible for me to observe it this year as my children are still very young. Nevertheless, we came to see people performing 'puja' and experience our traditions come alive,' said Sunita Yadav, a resident of Sector 41, Chandigarh.

Chhath is so important for the people who celebrate it that they do not wear new clothes on the eve of Diwali but they buy for Chhath. With the "puja" on Monday, first phase of the festival ends. "It is believed that anyone who gets to eat the Chhath Puja 'prasad' or take a dip in the water has his wishes fulfilled," said Kamla Singh, a resident of Sector 56, Chandigarh.

Before the rituals started the lake was purified with Ganga Jal. "There were nearly 100 people who came and washed the stairs of the lake, following which it was purified with Ganga Jal, especially brought in from Haridwar," said Rajeev Gobind Rao, joint secretary of PWA.

Compared to last year, the Tricity witnessed a 20% rise in the number of people who visited lake. "The number is increasing every year. Last year there were around 90,000 people and this year more than one lakh people came for the 'puja'. The rush would have been even more if we had not diverted the Panchkula side crowd to Ghaggar River," said D K Singh, general secretary of Purvanchal Welfare Association.

After the rituals were performed, people started dispersing to their homes only to come back in the morning to give offering to the rising sun. "After morning rituals people would break their fast with ginger tea and snacks that we will be providing them. Later, prasad will be distributed. With this the four-day Chhath Puja would conclude," said J P Srivastava, auditor PWA.